Northampton Saints have secured the services of winger Noah Cato from their Aviva Premiership rivals Saracens.

The 23-year-old England Saxons winger will move to Franklin's Gardens after four years with Sarries, in which he made 63 appearances, in order to compete for a back-three berth alongside England's Ben Foden and Chris Ashton.

"It is a positive move for me, moving from one big club to another," he said. "Saracens has been a good place for me to learn and I'm leaving without any bad memories. My experiences there have certainly helped shape me as a person.

"Playing in a back three with two England players will be exciting, and the team has a brilliant pack that can give a platform for everyone to play good rugby. I'm looking forward to working with all the coaches at Franklin's Gardens, and I'm sure that with their help I can develop my game and hopefully help the team continue improving as well."

Meanwhile, Newcastle Falcons hooker Matt Thompson has extended his contract with the club. The 28-year-old has played 141 Premiership games for the Falcons since his debut in 2002.

"I've been here for nearly ten years now and this is where I want to finish my career," he said. "It means everything to represent Newcastle. I played for Newcastle Gosforth when I was six and ever since then I have always wanted to play for Newcastle Falcons."